The Next Generation
by The Stig's Daughter
Summary: Quick little one-shots about the Winchester family...though not the one you're thinking of. (Does the title sound too Star Trek-ish?)
1. Chapter 1

7 months into Amy's pregnancy and he had to leave for a hunt. Dean Winchester found it extremely hard to leave his pregnant wife all alone in their big empty house in the country. Anything could happen. It was bad enough that she was married to a man who had more enemies than he could count. But to be left alone. Pregnant and alone.

"Just go!" Amy said playfully shoving him out the door. "Okay, okay," Dean said hesitantly. "Now, remember, don't mess with the salt I put down, keep the .45 with you at all times, and call me if you think you're in any kind of danger. I'll come right back and..." "Dean," Amy interrupted, "I'll be fine. Now go take care of those geishas. It shouldn't be that difficult. You've handled them before right?"

Dean sighed and put his hand on her round stomach. "It's just...this is the first time I've gone on a hunt since she came along." "I know," Amy said quietly, putting her hand over his. "But think of it this way, the sooner you take care of those bastards the faster you can get back here." Dean smiled then gave her a long kiss.

"Try and think of more names while I'm away," he said as he finally rushed out the door. "Maybe we'll finally agree on one!" Amy yelled to him as he threw his stuff in the car and started it. She stood in the doorway watching the Impala speed down the driveway.

While driving on his way to pick up Sam, who only lived a few hours away, Dean couldn't stop thinking about his wife and the past 7 months.

He remembered the day she gave him the news that she was pregnant. He was so happy that he could hardly speak. They had got it on their first try. From day one, he had worried about her endlessly. He made every room demon-proof and put salt in every crack and crevice. He made a promise to himself to always keep her safe and if anything came anywhere near her and the baby he would shoot it onsight.

He spent long nights researching things that were attracted to children or newborns. There were more than he thought which made him feel even more uneasy. He knew that Amy was strong and could hold her own, but now she was pregnant and it was hard for her to even get off the couch...

Before he knew it he had reached Sam's. It must be so easy for him to leave, Dean thought. His brother's fiance was off with the Doctor for the moment, so he didn't have anything to worry about. "So, how's Amy?" Sam asked closing the Impala door. "She's fine...she's fine. Heard from Clara?" Dean asked. He wasn't really interested in Sam's personal life but he needed to distract him so he could think about Amy.

"Yeah, she called from the TARDIS the other..." Sam started, but Dean's mind was long gone.

He smiled as he remembered how he was so sure that their baby would be a boy. For months he walked around telling everyone that they were having a boy. "I'm gonna raise him like my father raised me." But he remembered the look on Amy's face as he said this. "Okay, maybe not EXACTLY like my father raised me." She had laughed lightly.

However, when they got the news from their doctor that she was having a girl, he had actually frowned. He remembered how Amy got a little angry at him for this.

"Dean, are you listening?" Sam asked, snapping Dean out of his thoughts. "Huh? Yeah," Dean replied. Sam rolled his eyes. "You're thinking about Amy aren't you?" "Well, how can I NOT, Sam. She's my wife and she's pregnant and she's lonely. I just think she's too...exposed to danger."

Sam sighed and said, "Dean, she's got Cas, she can call the Doctor anytime, and you've proofed the house from almost everything in the supernatural world. Dean? Dean?" But it was hopeless, he knew his brother had slipped back into his thoughts...

He blocked out Sam's voice as he thought back to the first night they tried choosing baby names. "Sarah?" Amy suggested. "No, I once banged a chick named..." He stopped as he got a narrow-eyed look from his wife. Dean cleared his throat nervously and continued, "Mary?" "Too religious. Anna?" "Victoria?" "How about Cecilia?" "Valerie? Vanessa?" They spent hours getting nowhere.

Sam stared at his brother who was chuckling to himself. The younger Winchester brother shook his head and turned on the radio as Dean was STILL lost in his memories...

He also remembered painting the baby's room. They both agreed that it would definitely NOT be pink. It took awhile but eventually they settled on a cream color. Then, yet another memory popped into his head. Her baby shower, which was only a few days ago. He wasn't there (he was out with Sam, Sherlock, John, and the Doctor) but when he came home that night, the baby's room was packed with presents."What's all this?" Dean yelled to Amy, who was in the living room. "The baby's presents, idiot!" Dean had learned to live with her little moods that she could get in.

The present that he remembered most was, obviously, the Doctor's. A mobile made of special, light metals from different planets. They were in the shape of stars and spun around slowly over the crib as if they were actually in orbit...

"Dean, we're here," Sam once again snapped him out of it. "What? Already?" his brother asked. Sam sighed, "Yes, Dean." Dean grabbed a gun from the the back and cocked it. "Alright. Let's kill this son of a bitch." Sam smiled. That was the Dean he knew.


	2. I've Killed Things Quieter Than This

"I'm telling you Sam. It won't stop!" Dean said frantically into the phone. "Dean, it's not an 'it', she's your daughter. And I don't know how to make a baby stop crying. Now let me go back to sleep. It's 3 in the freakin' morning," he yawned. "You think I don't know that?! She's been crying non stop for, like, an hour!"

Sam yawned again, then continued, "Just give her to Amy." "Amy's asleep and I don't want to wake her. She takes care of Alex all day. God, I've killed things quieter than this." "Is that Dean?" he heard a woman's voice on Sam's end of the phone. "Is that Clara? Put her on," Dean said desperately. "No. Go back to sleep," he heard Sam whisper to his new wife. "Hey! I heard that!" Dean said sharply into the phone, making his daughter cry even harder.

Dean heard mumbling on the other end of the phone. He rolled his eyes and awkwardly tried holding his baby girl with one arm. All of a sudden, he heard Clara's voice through the phone. "Dean, what are you doing?" "What do you mean?" He heard her sigh, "Just let me talk to her." Dean looked confused but didn't question her. He just wanted to go sleep. So he put the phone to the baby's ear.

After a few minutes Alex starting calming down and eventually stopped crying. How the hell is Clara doing that? Dean thought to himself. As soon as Alex stopped crying she drifted to sleep in her father's arm.

"What the hell did you say?" Dean asked once he got back on the phone with Clara. "You're welcome, then," she responded. "Oh yeah, thanks." He immediately hung up the phone and placed it on a nearby dresser.

He looked down at his beautiful daughter asleep in his arms. She was so peaceful when she was asleep. He wanted to stare at her forever but he was tired beyond belief. So he just placed her gently in the crib. Then he looked at the salt on the window sill to make sure it was still in place.


	3. She's A Winchester

Alexandria Winchester was a year old when her parents left her with Sam and Clara for the first time. A shapeshifter was spotted in a nearby town and it was too good of a hunt to miss. Dean was finally starting to get comfortable with hunting and not being too worried about his family. However, this was the first time he had left Alex with someone other than Amy.

But he knew his daughter was in good hands. After all, Sam knew damn well how to protect the people he loved. Clara wasn't that bad either. Being the Doctor's companion had to toughen her up a little.

"Oh Sam, look how big she's gotten!" Clara said as she held Alex with the utmost care. Sam peered over her shoulder for a quick peek, then went to his laptop. He was never good with kids.

Clara, however, being a nanny, had a weak spot for them. She doted on Alex all day, not once letting her out of her sight. Sam glanced at them every now and then from afar. He was either on his laptop or watching TV but he never really got close to them.

Finally, after Clara had fed Alex she asked Sam to hold her while she left the room. "Umm..o-okay." Had he just stuttered? Sure, he thought to himself, you can shoot a vampire in the head but you can't hold a kid? Clara placed him awkwardly in his arms, then left the room.

My God, she's tiny. How can Clara say she's gotten big? He really did feel like a moose while he held little Alex. He was so afraid that he would drop her if he wasn't careful. He almost did when a knock came at the door.

He looked around and was tempted to yell for Clara but he knew that'd make Alex cry. So he just answered the door, baby in hand. Sam was extremely surprised to see Dean at the door.

"Dean. Umm...what are you doing here?" he asked, still awkwardly holding Alex. "Just came to pick up little Alex," he said smiling. "Oh," Sam replied looking down at his niece, "where's Amy...and the Impala?" He then looked past Dean at, well, nothing. That was the problem.

"Amy's at home...with the Impala," Dean said laughing nervously. "So, you walked all the way from your house to here?" Sam said, holding Alex a little tighter. "Yeah," Dean quickly replied.

This isn't Dean, Sam thought. Crap, there's a shapeshifter at my front door, and he wants Alex. Sam immediately slammed the door and locked it. "Clara!" he yelled, making Alex cry.

Clara ran into the room as a couple of shots were fired through the glass in the front door. "Get her to the basement," Sam said, basically tossing Alex into Clara's arms. Without hesitation, she ran to their bedroom closet and opened a small hatch in the floor. It was hidden in plain sight.

She climbed in and ran down a small set of stairs after slamming the hatch shut. The only source of light was from a small lightbulb that hung from the low ceiling. Alex was crying loudly as Clara heard muffled gun shots from above. She tried to calm her neice down but in vain.

All of a sudden the noises stopped and Clara feared the worst. The only sound in the entire house was Alex crying nonstop. The former nanny clutched the child even tighter as she suddenly heard footsteps pacing towards the bedroom.

Then she heard the closet door open. Like an instinct, she ran and put Alex in a shadowy corner behind a few boxes (even though she was still crying) and grabbed the shotgun from underneath the stairs. She cocked it and aimed it towards the shadowy stairs. She never thought she'd have to use a gun; never had to with the Doctor. But she would've died trying to protect her niece.

She saw a tall shadow quickly run down the small stairs. "Clara?" she heard the man say as he walked slowly towards her. "Sam?" she answered squinting. Finally, she saw him as he walked underneath the pathetic little lightbulb. She leaned the gun carefully against the wall and ran towards him.

"Where's Alex?" Sam could hear the infant crying but wasn't sure where she was. "She's over here," Clara said while leading him to the corner. Sam breathed a sigh of relief, gently picked up Alex, and held her so her head was resting on his shoulder. Her crying eventually turned into just sobs, and pretty soon she stopped crying all together.

When Clara walked back upstairs, she saw one of the windows shattered, a few shelves knocked over, and a bloody Dean lying on the floor. She put a hand to her mouth. "Don't worry. It's not him; it was a shapeshifter," Sam explained.

After a few minutes of examining the slight damage Sam noticed that Alex had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Clara," he whispered. She turned around to see him gesturing to the sleeping infant.

She slowly took Alex from her uncle's shoulder and noticed that he had gotten blood all over her right cheek. "Sam, you're bleeding!" she quickly whispered. He put a hand on his shoulder, wincing. "It's not that bad. Just a little bullet wound," he smiled.

Clara rolled her eyes then went into the kitchen to wipe the blood off of Alex's face. Only a year old and she's already got another man's blood on her, Sam thought. Yep, she's a Winchester.


	4. Unofficial Guardian Angel

It was 11:45 on the third night when Dean finally gave in to sleep. He sat against his daughter's bedroom wall, head drooping. He tried his hardest to fight it, but staying up for three days straight was not an easy task.

7:30 THE NEXT MORNING...

Amy walked into Alex's room expecting to see her husband sitting up against the wall, messing with his knife out of boredom. However, she was surprised when she saw him crashed on the floor. She laughed silently and picked Alex up out of her crib. She took one last look at Dean passed out on the floor, then carried Alex out of the room.

As she was feeding her daughter, she knew that she had to get Dean some help. Ever since he had found out about the Veiled Brides and what they do to children he had watched over Alex day and night. Not even sleep was going to prevent him from looking after his daughter. Amy was glad that he had finally gotten some sleep. But she knew that once he woke up, he would become angry at himself and stay awake, maybe even longer than three days.

8:30 a.m.

Amy paced the main room as Alex crawled around on the carpet, almost mimicking her mother. All of a sudden, Amy heard wings come from behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Castiel. "I'm so glad you're here," she said quickly. "Is there something wrong with Alex?" Cas asked in his usual rough voice. "Well, kind of...but it's mostly Dean. He's been kind of paranoid about Alex lately." Cas looked confused, as usual.

Amy gestured for him to sit down as she explained. "It all started about a month ago, when I found out that I was pregnant again." Cas instinctively looked at her stomach, which hadn't really shown any signs of pregnancy at the moment. "He looked through all the books and his father's journal," she continued, "just like he did when I was pregnant with Alex. I told him he didn't need to; once was enough. But he was too stubborn to listen." "Did he find anything?" Castiel interrupted.

She nodded slowly. "They're called Veiled Brides. Legend says that they...kill the child of a family that it sees as a threat to their existence." Amy looked like she wanted to cry but held herself together. She knew Cas wasn't good at comforting people.

"Well, why haven't they killed Alex?" Castiel asked bluntly. Amy shouldn't have looked so surprised. "I wasn't finished Cas," she said a little impatiently. She cleared her throat, "It only kills children who are expecting to be big brothers or sisters." "So...it doesn't kill children without siblings? Why?" Cas asked.

"Dean says it's because they don't want the family to grow any larger. They want Alex to be an only child," she said, putting a hand to her stomach. Castiel looked down at Alex who was hitting a stuffed animal against the floor. He tilted his head, then looked back towards Amy.  
"And he's been keeping an eye on Alex to the point where he won't sleep. That's when I prayed to you." Cas narrowed his eyes saying, "You want me to help Dean?" Amy nodded. They sat in silence for awhile before Cas began, "I can't help him." Amy sighed sadly. "But I can watch over Alex, just for a little bit. I can't sit and watch her for life. but this might ease Dean for a little..." "What might ease Dean?" Alex's father asked, walking into the room with bloodshot eyes and messy hair.

"Cas? What are you doing here?" Dean asked gruffly. Amy immediately asked, "How are you doing?" "Fine. Where's Alex?" Amy pointed towards their daughter who was still banging her stuffed animal against the floor. Dean smiled and plopped down on the sofa next to Amy. "Really Cas, why'd you come?" he asked again.

"Amy said you were being paranoid about the Veiled Brides," Castiel responded. Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not paranoid about anything. I'm just taking precautions. I don't want to see my daughter get hurt, or worse killed." Amy put her hand on Dean's arm. "He said he'll watch over Alex for awhile."

"Really?" Dean asked sarcastically. "Castiel, an angel who can go anywhere at anytime and do anything, is going to stay here and watch a baby girl 24/7 for 8 months?" "Eight months?" Cas sat upright. "Told ya," Dean continued, "he won't do it. Eight months too long, Cas?"  
Castiel narrowed his eyes challengingly. "I can watch her for eight months. Starting now." He then stared at Alex who stopped and stared back. Amy stifled a laugh while Dean lay his head back and immediately fell asleep.

"Why eight months?" Cas asked, still staring at Alex. "The Veiled Brides don't attack the child after it's sibling had been born. Oddly enough, they find it to be too cruel." Cas opened his mouth to speak but Amy immediately answered, "I don't know."

So, true to his word, Castiel watched Alex day and night. He was there for her first words, when she first started walking, he basically saw her grow up in a few months. More than her own parents had. Dean always kidded that Cas was Alex's "unofficial guardian angel". He actually felt a little...well, he didn't know what he felt. Attached?

8 MONTHS LATER

"Dean!" Amy yelled as she was walking down the stairs. He ran from the kitchen to find her clutching her stomach. The baby was on its way. "Cas!" Dean yelled to the angel, who was having a very one-sided conversation with Alex in her room.

He picked up Alex and ran to the bottom of the stairs as Dean was leading Amy down. "Let's go," Dean ordered. Cas nodded and brought them to the hospital in the blink of an eye.

Amy was sent immediately to the delivery room as Dean and Cas sat in the waiting room. Alex sat in Castiel's lap tugging on his tie as her father paced the small, empty room. "Have you named the child yet?" the angel asked. "I told you, Cas," Dean said still pacing, "we didn't want to find out the baby's gender so we don't have a name." Cas looked confused. "I thought you said it was a boy?" "It is!...It has to be. I can feel it," Dean said, as his pacing gradually became slower and slower. "Do you have powers?" Cas asked tilting his head.

Then, after what seemed like days, a doctor walked in smiling. "Well, congratulations Mr. Winchester, your wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl."

30 MINUTES LATER...

"You told him we were having a boy?" Amy whispered so she wouldn't wake their new daughter who was asleep in her arms. "Well...I thought we were" Dean shrugged his shoulders while looking down at his new daughter. They sat quietly staring at her for a few minutes before Cas appeared in the corner holding Alex.

Amy and Dean looked up as he slowly walked over to the newborn and looked down at her. "It's very small," Castiel stated bluntly. Amy nodded slightly and smiled, "Yeah. Her name's Cas."

Dean wanted to laugh when he saw the angel's face. His usual look of confusion. "That's my name." Amy and Dean sighed at the same time. "Is it too late to change her name?" Dean asked.


	5. Castiel's Gift

3 years later

DECEMBER 25

"Amy, the Doctor's here," Dean yelled towards the kitchen. "Did he bring Sherlock and Molly?" she yelled back. "Yes he did!" the Time Lord jumped into the kitchen with arms wide open. "Amelia Pond! Come on, give us a hug!" "Doctor!" Amy put down a cake she was putting finishing touches on and ran to him like a child.

"So where's Alex and little Cas?" he asked excitedly after their hug. "They were underneath the tree last time I checked," she answered. The Doctor rubbed his hands together in excitement and walked quickly back into the main room.

Just as he was leaving, a small pregnant woman entered the kitchen. "Molly! Look at you!" Amy said enthusiastically. The pathologist smiled and went to help Amy with the food. "It's good to see you again, Amy. It's been too long!" "Where's Sherlock?" Amy asked, licking a bit of frosting off of her finger. "In the main room with the boys. He's trying to get back on his feet. He gets a little sick after flying in the TARDIS." Amy chuckled, "Dean is the same way. So, how many months?"

"About 4 now," she answered cheerily. "And how's Sherlock taking it?" asked Amy. Molly laughed. "Well, he was a bit scared at first...actually, to be honest, I think he's still scared. But he'll manage."

LATER...

Amy and Molly were finally finished in the kitchen and went into the main room to join everyone else. Amy put her hands on her hips when she saw a fez on top of Alex's dark strawberry blonde head. "Look what the Doctor gave me!" she said happily. The Doctor straightened his bow tie with a look of satisfaction. "Fezzes are cool." Amy sat next to Dean as he whispered, "We're burning that when he leaves right?" "Oh, definitely," Amy whispered back.

"Where's Sam?" Sherlock inquired. "Damn, I think this weather's holding him up," Dean answered, looking out the window. The Doctor cleared his throat, "I think you're forgetting. Mad man with a box here." "That's what we're afraid of," Amy said. The Doctor straightened his bow tie, obviously offended and departed with the TARDIS. Amy bit her lip and looked a bit guilty. "He's just off to get Sam and Clara," Sherlock stated, looking a little bored.

"Okay," Dean said trying to get her mind off of the Doctor, "who wants to open Santa's presents?" "Not without Castiel, Daddy," Alex said stubbornly. Dean rolled his eyes. Ever since she was little (even smaller than she was now), Alex had a weird obsession with angels, especially Castiel. She seemed more attached to him than her own parents.

As if on cue, Alex's angel appeared behind the sofa, startling Amy. "Jesus, Cas, you can't appear behind people like that," she huffed. "Umm...I can. I just did it," he replied. Sherlock chuckled as Molly whispered something, undoubtly about Castiel, to him.

Alex's eyes lit up when she saw her angel. "Castiel!" she said excitedly running towards him. "Hello Alexandria," he said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the tree. "NOW, we can open presents Daddy" Alex said with a sassy tone. "Dear God," he whispered under his breath, "She's already turning into her mother."

After a few presents were opened by both kids and adults, a whirring noise came from behind the tree. Everyone knew immediately that it was the TARDIS. Sam walked out of the door...right into the tree, nearly knocking it over.

"What took you so long?" Dean asked. "Merry Christmas to you too," Sam said. "We were held up," Clara said, also walking from behind the tree. "There's a surprise," said Amy. "Happy Christmas, everyone!" the Doctor exclaimed, wearing a Santa hat. He was also carrying a load of presents. "He wanted to make a pit stop at the rings of...what was it Doc?" Sam said. "Alvador. They're beautiful at this time of year!" the Doctor replied, putting the presents in front of the girls.

"You never got there," Sherlock interrupted. "He's doing that thing again isn't he?" Sam stated. "Well at any rate, he's right. Tell them where we DID end up, Doctor" Clara said, sitting down next to Sam. "I may have landed on the wrong planet..." the Doctor trailed off, then cleared his throat. "The important thing is we're all together."

SEVERAL PRESENTS LATER...

"Well, girls, what do we say to everyone?" Amy asked. "Hold on. I have a gift," said the person that everyone thought was least likely to even talk. Everybody, even the Doctor, turned to Castiel. "Say again?" Dean broke the small silence. "I have a gift for Alexandria," the angel repeated. Amy and Dean stared at the angel suspiciously. Cas stood up and stretched his hand out towards Alex. She immediately grabbed it and, quick as a flash, they were gone.

"Where the hell did they go?!" Dean said, bolting from the couch. Amy also stood up from the couch and immediately looked around the room, trying to find their daughter and the angel. Everybody took it upon themselves to help. "Alex! Castiel!"

The Doctor looked all throughout his police box while Molly went to help Clara and Amy search the house. Sherlock sat on the couch saying that if Alex and Castiel did return, he'd be here to let everyone know. Molly mentally yelled at him. Well, at least someone was watching little Cas.

Sam and Dean were in the enormous pasture behind the house. It was covered with snow and ice. "Try praying to him," Sam said pushing aside snow piles. He highly doubted they were out here but Dean told him to search every inch of their property. "I've tried, Sam!" he said angrily. "Dean!" Amy called from the back door. "They're back!" The two brothers ran inside the house. "I'm gonna kill him. Where is that stupid bastard. CAS!" Dean yelled stomping into the main room.

Everybody was already there, including Alex and Castiel. Dean would've punched the angel if Sam hadn't stopped him. Cas and Alex stood side by side, both wondering why her father was so angry. "Where did you take her?" Amy asked, pulling her daughter from Castiel. "It's a secret, remember Castiel?" Alex said before the angel could say anything.

"She's right," he responded in his usual monotoned voice. "Bull crap, it's a secret! Where did you take her?" Dean asked again. "I can't tell you. It wouldn't be a secret anymore," he responded casually. "Cas, I swear to God, if you don't tell me right now." Dean was starting to get red in the face.

Castiel looked toward Alex. She was shaking her head, no and mouthed, Don't tell him. So everybody was surprised when he looked around, smiled, and flew off again. An awkward silence fell over the group.

THAT NIGHT...

Amy tucked Alex in while Dean was putting Cas to sleep in her small bed in the next room. "Sleepy?" "No," Alex yawned. Amy smiled slightly, then casually asked, "So...about Castiel. Where'd you guys go to, anyway?" Alex sighed. "Mommy, it's a secret." Amy frowned, kissed Alex lightly on her forehead, then walked out.

"Anything?" Dean asked her as he was stepping out of Cas' room. Amy shook her head. "She won't tell me anything. She keeps saying it's a secret." Amy paused then continued, "She gets it from you, you know." "Excuse me?" Dean replied. "Her stubbornness. It's some kind of weird Winchester trait," Amy laughed quietly. "No. It's some kind of weird Scottish trait," Dean replied.

For days, her parents kept casually asking her about Castiel and this "secret place" they went to, but Alex refused to tell them anything. Only that it was the best gift she had ever gotten. They knew that she would never tell so they just gave up. "Maybe we can get some info out of Castiel next time we see him," Amy said. "Trust me. We can. I'll have him talking in no time," Dean answered.

But he was wrong. Castiel wouldn't say anything about it either.

"Dean," Amy woke her husband in the middle of the night. "What's wrong?" Dean sleepily asked. "I was thinking...what if Cas took Alex to heaven?" Dean sat up. "That's impossible...isn't it?" he asked. "Angels just can't go taking random people to heaven," he continued. "I don't know, Dean. Castiel and Alex seem to have some special bond. She's not some random person."

"Amy, she's four." "What's that got to do with it?" Amy asked. Dean sat quietly in the dark, then laid back down. Had his daughter really been to heaven? What is that damn angel up to now, he thought to himself.


	6. Drawings

"Are you sure you don't know what this is about?" Amy asked Alex who was sitting in the back seat of her mother's Fiat. "I swear, Mom. I didn't do anything wrong," she said for the 4th time. "Oooo, you're in trouble," Cas laughed. She was seated next to her sister. "Quit it!" Alex said, hitting Cas. Amy rolled her eyes. The girls were so violent to each other. It was like they were boys sometimes.

They were headed to Alex's school. Her kindergarten teacher had called wanting to discuss Alex and her antics with her parents. In typical Dean fashion, he had "suddenly found" a hunt the day that the teacher had called and wouldn't be able to make it. She shouldn't have been surprised. "Okay girls, let's get this over with," she said as they stepped out of the car and headed towards the building.

"Ah, you must be Mrs. Winchester," the teacher said as Amy stepped into the classroom. "Hi Mrs. Summers," Alex said unenthusiastically. "Take your sister and go draw," Amy told her daughter, pointing to a table with paper and crayons on it. "Come on, Cas," Alex said, as her sister quickly followed.

"So, what kind of trouble has she gotten herself into this time?" Amy laughed. The teacher wasn't amused. Amy's smile quickly faded. "Do you know why I wanted to speak with you?" "Umm...Alex didn't tell me anything." The teacher dug into her desk and took out a paper with a strange drawing on it.

"I told the children to draw what their parents' jobs are." Amy started to get nervous. Alex knew her dad was a hunter. They decided to tell her before she started school. She took it better than they had thought. In fact, she thought it was fascinating.

"Can you explain to me what this picture means?" the teacher asked Amy. On the paper was a stick figure of what looked like Dean. He was holding a long stick-looking thing that Amy recognized as his shotgun (which Alex would see each time her father came back from a hunt). But that wasn't the worst part. He was surrounded by decapitated monsters with red scribbles. It was supposed to be blood.

"Ummm..." Amy was at a loss for words. "She says her father is a hunter," Mrs. Summers said dissapprovingly. "Well..." Amy had to come up with a lie, quick. "Alex thinks there are monsters in her closet and we have to tell her that Dean, her father, keeps them away by...slaying them apparently." "I see..."the teacher said suspiciously.

"Well, I suggest that she keep that to herself. She scared some of the kids." Amy looked over at her daughter. She was scaring the other kids? "We'll work on it," Amy said, giving the teacher a fake smile. "Good," Mrs. Summers said bluntly.

All of a sudden Alex and Cas ran over to their mother with another drawing. "Look! It's Sam!" they said proudly. This time the stick figure had shaggy hair and took up the whole page because, to the girls, he was a giant. However, instead of a gun, stick-figure Sam had a knife in one hand and a little square in the other. "That's salt," Cas said, pointing to it.

Amy gave the teacher a nervous smile and said, "I'm sure he's just using the knife to open the salt."

2 DAYS LATER...

"DADDY!" Alex and Cas ran to their father as he walked into the house. "Hey girls," Dean said as he laid down a bag full of silver weaponry on the table. Alex latched herself onto his right leg while Cas latched on to his left, making it quite difficult for him to walk. His daughters were always so excited to see him after his hunts, even though he was dirty and blood-stained sometimes.

"Amy, can you get them off me?" Dean asked as his wife walked towards him. Instead of detatching their children, she just gave him a hug. Dean rolled his eyes. He always loved having girls adore him but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Girls, I love you but..come on, get off," Dean said.

"Come on girls," Amy said pulling Cas and Alex off of his legs. She then handed Cas to Dean. "How was the business trip?" Amy asked. Cas was too young to know her father's secret, so they told her he went away on business...with weapons. She didn't question it. Salt lined the house, strange signs were painted underneath each carpet, and she knew an angel; it was hard for her to NOT believe in the supernatural. But they still didn't want to tell her. Not yet. "It was crazy. The, um, Vamps were taken care of though."

After he got settled in, Amy pulled out Alex's drawing. "Woah...this is awesome!" Dean exclaimed. He then walked over to the fridge and proudly stuck it on. "Dean! She got in trouble for that! AND she drew one of Sam." "Awesome," he said smiling. "No, Dean. Not awesome. Someone else might see this and know that she's a hunters daughter," Amy replied.

Ignoring his wife, Dean squinted and tried to make out one of the monsters in the drawing. "What does that look like to you?" he said pointing to one of the poorly drawn monsters. "Dean, that's not the point," Amy said with a sigh.

"No, seriously, look." Amy rolled her eyes and stared where he was pointing. "It just looks like a snake with a stick going through it," she said shrugging her shoulders. "Amy. I think that's a leviathan." Amy quickly looked again. "How does she know what leviathan is? Dean..." she said angrily. "Don't look at me! I don't even want her knowing about those. But look," he said pointing to the drawing once more.

"She even drew a stick through it. That's the only way to kill one." "And," Amy studied the picture, "it's got black scribbles around it instead of red." Dean and Amy stared at each other, took the picture off the fridge, then quickly walked upstairs to Cas' room where the girls were playing.

"Alex, your Mom and I want to talk with you," Dean said sternly. Alex's face fell and quietly walked out into the hall. She had seen her father get mad before and it wasn't pretty. "Alex, what is this?" he asked, pointing to the snake-like monster.

"A leviathan," she said quietly, looking down at the floor. Dean and Amy, once again, looked at each other. "How do you know about them, honey?" asked Amy. "Somebody told me," she said, twisting her hands behind her back. "Who told..." Dean paused, "It was Sam. Sam? Was it Sam?" To his surprise his daughter shook her head no.

"Alexandria Winchester, who told you about the leviathans?" Dean asked, even more sternly this time. "Don't yell at him," she answered with a sad look on her face. "Alex!" her father yelled. "It was Castiel!" Alex quickly yelled back and ran into her room, slamming the door.

"Damn it," Dean said to himself as he heard her daughter crying in the room. "Maybe she's right," Amy said quietly, "You shouldn't get mad at him. She would've found out sooner or later." "That's not what bothers me. If he told her about leviathans what else did he tell her? What if she knows about purgatory? Or that I've been to hell? And _when_ does he tell her this? We haven't seen him since Christmas." Amy put a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"Wait a minute," she said suddenly. "Do you hear that?" They both heard two voices conversing in her room. "Don't tell me..." "Shhh," Amy silenced him. She slowly walked to the door and cracked it open.

There was Castiel sitting on the floor talking to Alex, who was sitting in front of him. "Well at least she doesn't have an imaginary friend," Dean whispered behind Amy. She closed the door. "Do you think we're bad parents?" Dean asked.

"Not at all. Why would you think that?" "It's just," he started, "shouldn't we be the ones she comes to for comfort? Or for advice or whatever? I'm starting to think she loves Castiel more than us."

"Dean, did you see how happy they were when you walked through that door today?" "That doesn't mean anything. Look, I'm not cut out to be a parent, I know that..." "Dean, shut up," Amy interrupted him, "You're a great father. Those two girls love you more than you realize." "Okay. God, having a family makes people soft," he said, shaking his head.

Amy laughed then led him down the stairs; leaving the angel and the five year old to talk. Meanwhile, Cas got on top of her bed and starting eating the salt off of the window sill.


	7. Unexpected

Dean was at a loss for words as his wife sat next to him. "Dean?" she asked. "Dean, say something." "Umm...how? How did it happen? I mean, we used...protection," he said, still trying to comprehend what his wife just told him.

"Yeah, well, sometimes that doesn't work," she answered. "But...when? We haven't..." "The hunt you went on two weeks ago." "What about it?" Amy cleared her throat and continued, "More specifically, the night before you left." Dean suddenly remembered. "Oh," he said quietly. They said that they wouldn't have anymore kids. He could barely handle two. Now a third?

After awhile Amy just left him there to think, since he hadn't said anything in minutes. He would deal with it in his own way eventually.

She walked into the main room where the girls were looking through their grandfather's journal. They only looked at the pictures and Alex even tried drawing some of the symbols inside their colouring books. Sometimes she wished they were like regular girls who were innocent and knew nothing about the true dangers of the world.

"Hey girls, I have something big to tell you," she said excitedly. They suddenly lost interest in the journal. "What is it?!" they both asked. "Well, you two are gonna be big sisters," she said. Cas' eyes widened. She had always wanted to be an older sibling. "Awesome," Alex smiled, using one of her father's favorite words.

"But you're not fat," Cas said, pointing to her mother's stomach. "Aunt Clara was fat when she was pregnant with Liam," she continued, referring to her 4 month old cousin. Amy laughed then spent half the day trying to explain the "miracle of birth" to them while Dean finally got his head wrapped around the fact that he now had a much bigger family then he ever thought he would. "You know," she whispered to Dean later that night, "I have a feeling this one's going to be a boy." He smiled. "I do too...finally."

It wasn't.


	8. Shooting Lessons

7 YEARS LATER

"Okay now aim at the target I put on the tree," Dean said to Alex, placing the shotgun into her hands. She carefully pointed it towards the giant oak. "A little to the left," Cas commentated. "Shut up, I'm concentrating," Alex replied. Amy was on the porch with Melody, the youngest sister, who was putting her fingers in her ears. She knew the shot would be loud.

Alex held the gun with a steady hand and pulled the trigger. A loud bang filled the air as Alex fell on her back. Dean laughed, "I told you it'd have a kick." Alex quickly got up and ran to the tree, shotgun still in hand. "Woah, woah, Alex! Turn the safety on when you're running!" Amy yelled from the porch.

However, Alex was preoccupied with her bullet hole. "Damn it," she said to herself. She had a great shot, but it was in the second ring. She had grown to be a perfectionist. This wouldn't do. Her father walked up behind her. "Not bad for a first shot," he said. Then took the gun out of her hand. "It's not the center," she frowned.

"How bad was her aim?" Cas asked, running over to also check her sister's aim. "Second ring, nice job," she said sarcastically. Alex punched her sister's arm while Cas smacked Alex on the side of her head. Dean just walked away. They fought with each other physically multiple times.

"I bet I could get center the first time," Cas smirked. Alex just rolled her eyes. "You've never even shot a gun." "Yeah, well, Dad's gonna teach me next year. Then we'll see who the better shot is." Alex narrowed her eyes at her sister then went back to her father. "Can I practice on _her_?" she said pointing to her sister who was now running back. "Alex, I heard that!" her mother said from the porch.

"We'll work on moving targets later, kid," Dean answered. Then he cocked the gun and pointed it at the same tree. "Now, watch and learn, girls." Another loud bang.

"Go check that out," he said, loading more bullets. The girls ran back to the tree. Alex marveled at her father's precision and studied the bullet hole in the center of the target. Even Cas was impressed. "You were right you little demon," Alex said to her sister. Cas stared at her sister curiously. "I did need to move it to the left."

It took two more shots before Alex finally shot the center. "Yes!" she cried. But in the midst of her celebration she accidently shot the front door. "Hey! That's enough shooting for today. You almost killed Mel!" Amy said angrily. "For the last time, Alexandria," Dean said taking the gun away from her, "put it on safety."

He put the gun on his shoulder and walked into the house with Melody and his wife. Alex and Cas waited for them to go inside before they both burst out laughing. "Oh my God, you almost took Mel's arm off!" Cas said in between laughs. "Well what do you expect? I finally shot the freakin' target in the middle!" Alex laughed.

The girls went to sit on the porch. "Hey, have you looked into the Kirk case?" Cas nudged Alex. "Of course. I'm gonna tell dad about it tonight." "It's just an apparition right?" "Yeah, but dad says that even small things are important. Besides, people are starting to cast him out," Alex said empathetically.

She could relate. Ever since she could remember she had freaked other kids out when she talked about her love of the supernatural world. Even teachers were worried about her and had to constantly talk to her parents. After awhile, she had learned to deal with others' taunting her.

But at one point she was getting into fights left and right. And never lost a single one. People left her alone after a few fights, but the taunting still continued behind her back.

Cas, on the other hand, she didn't tell others about her love of the supernatural. She hid it. So she had plenty of friends. Alex was a little disappointed in her for this. However, Cas still helped Alex with cases when she was at home. Their latest one they dubbed "The Captain Kirk Case" because of the victim's last name.

They liked to name their cases, just like Sherlock and John named theirs. Alex and Cas constantly read John's blog and even e-mailed Sherlock for help with deductions on difficult cases before they brought them to their dad.

"Alex, Cas, let's go," Dean called from inside. The girls sighed. They had to go the safe room to learn about their dad's different weapons. "You know, this would be more interesting if we could actually use that stuff once in awhile," Cas whispered. "Don't worry. Only 4 more years and we can go on a hunt."


	9. The Hunter & The Angel

Alex's head was throbbing. It felt like a thousand knives were being shoved into her head. She was plopped on the couch next to Cas who was watching a car show with Melody. Cas waited for her mom to leave the room before she whispered to her sister, "How's the hangover?" Alex just groaned and adjusted her sunglasses. "That bad, huh?" Cas laughed.

It was the night after her sixteenth birthday and she had far more alcohol than she could handle. All throughout the night her father had been sneaking her beers. But he didn't know that Castiel was also sneaking her alcohol...not just beer either.

"Mels, can you turn down the TV?" Alex said sluggishly. The noise from the motors were more than she could bare. "No, this is a new episode," Melody said, focusing on the show. Cas chuckled. Alex didn't have the strength to punch her in the arm. "Hey, Melody, can you actually turn it up? I can't hear what they're saying," Cas said.

Alex turned to Cas, narrowed her eyes behind the sunglasses, and muttered, "You bitch." Melody happily turned the TV up just as a drag race was starting. "Yes! They're racing the Ferrari today!" she cheered.

As she grew older, everybody noticed that Mel had a knack for cars. Actually, she was head over heels in love with them. She read every magazine and watched every show. Dean had already showed her the ins and outs of the Impala (which she adored). Melody was already talking about going to college to become an engineer. She reminded Dean so much of Amy. They all did. Headstrong and feisty. They all had the same dark strawberry blonde hair as well. They grew to be natural beauties; all of them.

"Well look at the brightside," Cas continued, "at least you're old enough to go on a hunt." Alex gave a small smile. "About freakin time. I've been waiting for this ever since I was 5 years old. Got the case lined up?"

"Yup. Case Bowtie is go." Alex and Cas had dubbed this "Case Bowtie" because the ghost that was being hunted was a well dressed man who always wore bowties...like a certain Time Lord they knew.

THE NEXT DAY

Alex ran to the Impala, threw her stuff into the back seat, and eagerly jumped into the front seat. "Come on Dad, let's go!" she said happily. "Geez, kid, hold on," he said as he was putting salt guns in the trunk. The usual ritual occured after that: Amy standing in the doorway with Cas and Mel waving goodbye.

Dean started the car and started to drive down thir long driveway. "Excited?" he asked. "Yes! God, I can't believe this is finally happening! You should've seen the look on Castiel's face when I told him. He told me some literal ghost stories from your old hunts," she laughed. "Did he now," Dean said unenthusiastically.

He never did approve of Castiel telling her things about his past. He was always worried that something she didn't need to know would slip out. Alex knew this, but never brought up the fact that she already knew just about everything from his past. Castiel had told her about her father's trip to hell and his time in purgatory. And even horrors from his own past.

That was what she loved about him. He treated her like she was a real hunter. Even when she was little. Her parents never knew that he popped into her room some nights. Sometimes she just wanted to see him and talk. All she had to do was pray and he'd arrive. They would spend hours late at night talking about anything and everything.

10 HOURS LATER...

"Dad! Dad!" Alex yelled. She didn't think she would face demons on this hunt. It was supposed to be a simple ghost hunt. Plain and easy. But word got out that Dean was taking his daughter for a hunt. She was easy game for them.

She had gone off on her own even though her father had told her to hide. Now look where she was. Trapped in a musty room with three demons. Her father was nowhere to be found and the worst came to her mind. He can't die. He was her dad. He wasn't supposed to die.

"Dad!" she yelled once more. "Dad! Daddy!" one of the demons cruelly mimicked her. "Your witless Dad isn't coming for you. Hell, he can't even hear you," another blue-eyed demon said. She strained to break free but she couldn't take on three demons by herself.

They bound her hands together and tightly tied her to a chair. "You son of a bitch! Let me go!" she yelled. "Look at you, a girl trying to prove herself a woman," a blonde-haired demon said. "Honey, you're doing a hell of a job so far." Alex glared at them. She didn't know she could hate something so much.

Then her eyes widened as one of the demons took a very large knife out and slowly walked towards her. "I think I'll give her a nice little tattoo. Don't worry," she said as Alex struggled even more, "it's only temporary."

Alex screamed with pain as the demon cut a long upside down cross on the inside of her arm. Although she was in extreme pain, she still had the nerve to spit the demon right in the eye. She got a slap across the face.

All of a sudden she heard a voice inside her head. 'Close your eyes,' the voice said. It sounded so familiar but so different at the same time. 'Now,' it ordered. She immediately did as she was told.

A bright light appeared and she heard screaming from the demons. The pain in their voices were unlike anything she could've ever imagined. Then a giant gust of wind blew the chair back and she landed on the floor. Her binds became loose and she managed to wiggle free but kept her eyes closed.

She heard more screaming; then everything became silent and the light was gone. A hand touched her shoulder. "You can open your eyes," a rough voice said. Alex knew that rough voice. "Castiel?"

She opened her eyes to see her unofficial guardian angel leaning over her. She immediately jumped up and hugged him. This caught him by surprise. He just awkwardly hugged her back. "How'd you know where I was?" she held back tears. Hunters don't cry, she told herself. "I always know where you are," he responded.

"Alex!" She heard her father's voice outside of the open door. Dean ran into the room and stopped in his tracks when he saw his daughter with her arms wrapped around the angel. Castiel noticed this then lightly pushed Alex away.

Dean ran up to his daughter, checking for any wounds. "I'm fine, Dad," she said shakily. "You're not fine," he said observing the cuts the demon left on her arms. "Look what they've done to you. I knew I shouldn't have let you start hunting this early. Damn it. You're mother tried telling me," he started but Alex interrupted. "Dad, you knew I'd get a few scars. I'm fine, really."

"She's right, Dean. Maybe you should listen..." "Shut up, Cas!" Dean yelled at the angel. "Don't yell at him!" Alex said angrily. "He just saved my life! I would've died if he hadn't come!"

Dean stared angrily at his daughter, then back at Castiel. He knew his daughter was right, but he didn't want to admit it. He was turning into a horrible father. He couldn't even watch over his own children.

"How did he find you," he said, calming down. "He's my guardian angel, Dad," she said smiling at Castiel. "He always knows where I am." "Kind of frightening," her father muttered. Alex smiled a little easier, knowing her father was getting out of his bad mood.

The drive home was awkwardly quiet. Alex watched her father get lost in his thoughts as he often did when he drove in silence. She then looked out the window at the pitch black, moonless night. Her head began to nod and pretty soon she was dead asleep.

Her father was about to ask her about the hunt but looked down to see her smiling in her sleep. Dreaming no doubt. At least they weren't nightmares, he thought.

"You know how he is," Alex said to her angel. "I do, but it's not easy to get used to," he replied. "Yeah, well..."

She knew she was dreaming. Every now and then she would see Castiel in her dreams, even have conversations with him. They were always in a white room. When she first started having these dreams she thought it was heaven. But her angel reassured her it wasn't.

"Hey Castiel, I have a question. How'd you do it? With the demons?" He looked like he was deep in thought. "I showed them my true form," he said. Alex's eyes widened a little. She had been in the presence of a proper angel. Not just a vessel, but an actual angel.

She opened her mouth to ask another question but before she could say anything Castiel said, "You wanted to know how you heard me." Alex closed her mouth and folded her arms. "What, can you read minds now?"

The angel smiled slightly. She was one of very few that he could actually be happy around. "But yes, that was what I was going to ask. You told me that when you first tried talking to Dad in your true voice he only heard a high pitched noise. How come I didn't? Am I some kind of prophet or something?"

"No. Actually, I guess in _my_ book, you're more important than a prophet...or something," he said. Alex tilted her head and asked, "What?" Castiel paused, looking at her confused face. "In simple terms, we have a bond. An extremely strong one," he said slowly. "And it appears that, quite ironically, I have become your guardian angel."

Alex knew that everybody kidded about Castiel being her angel, but she didn't think it was possible. "Well...okay, that was unexpected," she said. "What kind of bond?"

"It's been said that the strongest bond a human can have is with his, or in the case her, guardian angel. You can understand me and I can understand you," he answered. She knew that when he said "understand" he meant on a different wavelength. Unlike anything her sisters or even her parents could feel.

Castiel came extremely close to Alex and put two fingers on her forehead. "Alex, I'm about to..."

But everything disappeared as Alex woke with a start. "Hey, kid, we're home," Dean shook her awake. Alex grumbled a little. "What time is it?" Her father looked at his watch and answered, "3:42 a.m. Go get some sleep, I'll get your stuff and bring it inside." "Thanks," she gave him a sleepy smile.

When she finally fell asleep again she tried dreaming about Castiel, but it didn't work. She desperately wanted to see him again.


	10. Best Day of My Life

Dean felt extremely old. His oldest had graduated high school. It felt like only yesterday that she was drawing the very monsters that she was now hunting on a weekly basis. Her grandfather would be proud, he thought.

But Dean was actually surprised that she got to graduate with her class. Alex had missed so many days of school because she was off hunting. He always felt a pang of guilt when he thought about this. Was he the reason she barely had any friends? Because he took her off hunting all the time?

He shook the thought from his head as he stepped inside the TARDIS where everyone, including his daughter, was waiting to take off to a planet that the Doctor said was "complete paradise." Alex deserved it. She hadn't traveled with the Time Lord in years because of her busy schedule.

"Off we go!" the Doctor said enthusiastically, flipping a switch that made the blue box take off with a bumpy start. "You are so lucky you're done with school," Liam said to his cousin. He was just a junior but, like his father, he had the brains of a college freshman.

"Well, you better get used to school life. Aren't you planning on going to Stanford?" Alex responded. "Yep," he said, shaking his shaggy, brown hair from his eyes, "just like dad. What about you?" "Family business...just like dad," she said.

Liam was always torn between going to college and becoming a hunter. Exactly like Sam was at his age. He always knew he wanted to be a medical man, even if he did choose to be a hunter. He wanted to help mend the wounded because he never did like violence. But he knew that if he did become a hunter. He would have to go out on the battlefield sooner or later.

"Alex, I'm so proud of you!" Clara said as she gave her niece a very tight hug. "Thanks," she said happily, for the umpteenth time that day. "So how's the best day of your life so far?" she asked. "Ummm..."

Alex was at a loss for words. It wasn't the best day of her life. It might've been if her angel had been there. But he wasn't. She couldn't understand why. She had tried dreaming about him, tried calling out to him, even prayed to God to send him down; she hadn't seen him in 2 years. Ever since the night he had saved her life on her first hunt. She was actually starting to get a little frustrated with him.

So she just lied to her aunt. "It's been great. The best day of my life," she sighed.


	11. You Wouldn't Listen

3 YEARS LATER

"Are you sure we should be going this fast? And at night?" Melody said from the back seat of the Audi. "Mels, weren't you the one that wanted dad to get this for us in the first place?" Cas said from the passenger's seat. Before she could respond the car sped over a bump on the bridge and made Melody hit her head on the window. "Ouch," she said rubbing her head.

It was true. Melody had talked Dean into buying the girls a black Audi R8 for hunting. As much as they all loved the Impala, they told their father that he needed it for his own hunting needs. They would be on the road on their own from now on, saving people and hunting things. Alex always drove, while Cas sat shotgun. Melody however, usually stayed home with Dean and Amy. After all she was still in school and still dreamed of being an engineer. But every now and then she would still tag along with her sisters. "So. It's not like were running from anything. We took care of the..." Melody was interrupted when her sister stomped on the breaks, causing all of them to jerk forward. "Jesus Christ, Alex! What the hell did you do that for? Crazy idiot. You alright Mel?" Cas asked. "Yeah. You know Alex, just because this thing is a V8 with 430 horsepower doesn't mean you can abuse it! It is a known fact that the breaks in this car cause it's 4.2 liter engine to..." "I think you've made your point, Mels," Cas said.

"Cas," muttered Alex. "What?" "Cas," Alex said once more. "I said what. What is it?" Cas answered frustratingly. "No. Cas." Alex pointed to someone standing in the headlights of the stopped car. The girls sat quietly for a moment. "Who is it?" Melody whispered. Cas shrugged her shoulders and got a gun out of her bag. "Stay here. Both of you," Alex said sternly as she unbuckled her seat belt. "No, I'm coming," Cas said stubbornly. But Alex ignored her and walked out of the car slowly. Cas cocked the gun and stepped out as well. Melody stayed behind.

Alex stopped in her tracks while Cas was still squinting to try and make out who it was. "Castiel?" she asked. "Hello Cassie," the angel replied, using her nickname. Cas dropped her gun and ran up to hug him. "Don't scare us like that you idiot!" Castiel then turned to Alex, who was standing still. He walked slowly up to her and opened his mouth to say something but instead got a harsh slap across the face. The angel looked genuinely shocked and confused at the same time. "Go away or I swear to God I will get back in that car and run you over," she said with an acid tone. "I don't understand," he said slowly. "Get in line," Cas said, now standing in front of the car. Alex shot her sister a mean look and told her to get back in the car. Cas reluctantly got back in the Audi.

"Leave," Alex said again. Castiel was at a loss for words. She stared at him angrily then turned and got back in the car. "Is there something you want to tell us?" Melody said from the back seat. Alex remained silent and angrily put the car in drive. Castiel still hadn't left. She revved the engine as a warning for him to leave. After much hesitation, he finally did.

The ride to the nearest hotel was intensely awkward. Melody actually tried reading her car magazine in the darkness of the car just to have something to do. Cas turned on the iPod that was hooked up to the car. She put it on the AC/DC playlist, which was one of her sister's favorites. Maybe that would get her out of her bad mood.

When they finally got to their hotel room, Cas and Mel fell asleep immediately. Alex, however, just sat in bed thinking. Why would he come now? She hadn't seen him or heard from him in almost 5 years. In those 5 years, she had some rough days. Especially while she was hunting by herself. She had been cornered, been in such pain, there was even one night when Cas was cut up pretty bad; but he still hadn't shown up. He was supposed to be her guardian angel. There were some nights when she was on the road and just wanted to talk to him like they used to.

Once she turned 19 she started to hate him. If he didn't care about her, then she didn't care about him. Plain and simple.

Before too long though sleep came to her. And there he was in her dreams. They were in the same stupid white room too. She tried waking herself up but he wouldn't let her. "Alex, we need to talk," he said, as if he was breaking up with her.

"Oh, now he wants to talk!" she said throwing her hands in the air. Castiel looked around. "Who are you talking to?" he asked. Alex just crossed her arms and replied, "I want to wake up." "I can't let you. At least not until we talk." "You want to talk?" she asked, anger rising in her. "I'll tell you what we can talk about. How about you abandoning me? Or how you gave me some fake bullcrap about having some 'special bond.' God, I was so childish for believing you." "I didn't lie to you," he responded. "But I am sorry for not answering you," he continued, lowering his eyes.

"Well, the damage has been done and I might consider your apology, just let me wake up," she said stubbornly. The angel stared at her in silence. "You've become selfish," he stated. "Excuse me?" Alex said, feeling her temper rise even more. "You're not like you used to be," he said. "Of course I'm not. I've learned that to survive in this world you can't depend on others."

Castiel sighed, then grabbed her by the arm. "What are you doing?" she said loudly. "You won't listen," he said putting two fingers on her forehead.

In a flash, she saw everything. His past, his present, and some of his future. She saw the hardships he endured. She felt them. She felt the enormous weight of the leviathans. She felt the temporary mind loss. The hellish torment. She felt every emotion he had felt. More importantly, she saw the endless battles he faced in the recent past. She saw things too horrible for words.

Alex broke away from him before she could see anymore. She was back in the white room and stumbled back a few steps as she realized what she just witnessed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "but you had to know why." She broke into tears and wrapped her arms around him. "I had no idea," she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Neither did I," he answered. She looked up at him. "What do you mean?" she sniffed. "I saw your past too. I felt what you did as well." "Come on," she said, "that was nothing compared to your life." They stared at each for awhile then everything disappeared.

She woke up in a cold sweat. "How are you feeling?" Melody asked. "You were yelling in your sleep," Cas said casually. Alex looked around for some sign of Castiel; she didn't know why. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," she finally answered.

"That nightmare must've be horrible," Melody said. Alex got out of bed slowly. "You know, it was mostly a dream...not a nightmare," she said slowly. Cas rolled her eyes, "Well, whatever it was, it kept me up so if you don't mind I'm going to sleep." Alex punched her sister lightly in the arm.

"So, what'd you dream about?" Mel asked. "Nothing," Alex said nonchalantly. Melody sighed with frustration. "It was Castiel wasn't it?" "Maybe." Melody squinted at her sister. "I'll never understand you and him." She went over to the TV and flipped it on. "I hope they got BBC America," she said to herself while grabbing the remote.

Alex, meanwhile, got her cell phone out and stepped outside. "Hey." She heard her father's voice. "Hey dad, I got some news about Castiel."


	12. He's Back

Sam tossed the box of matches to his brother, who was standing over the grave ready to light the corpse on fire. He lit one and threw it into the pit. "Well, she's gone now," he said, referring to the ghost they were hunting.

"Man, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat on the way home," Sam complained. "Dude, I don't feel like driving all the way home. Let's just stay in a motel, like we used to," Dean answered. "Fine. But we're still stopping to get something to eat." Dean sighed, "Whatever."

After stopping to get food, they checked into a mildly expensive hotel. "Geez, they didn't used to be this expensive," Sam said with his mouth full of food. "Don't say that Sammy, you're making me feel old." Sam just rolled his eyes and sent Clara a text telling her the case was closed. He always felt a little like Sherlock when he thought of things like that. 'The case is closed.' I've been reading his blog too much, he thought to himself.

It was early the next morning when Dean recieved a call from his daughter. He couldn't believe what he heard. Castiel was back.

"Where was he?" Dean asked Alex. "It's kinda hard to explain, but the important thing is he's back," she said happily into the phone. "Why is that important?" Dean asked. Alex was quiet. "It...it just is." Dean smiled. He felt relieved that his daughter didn't harbor anymore hatred toward her angel.

Every night for the next 2 weeks, Castiel visited Alex. It felt like the old days when they'd talk all night. Except this time it felt deeper. This time they could see each others' thoughts and their pasts. Alex could actually see all of the stories Castiel had told her.

"You know, I haven't had that much fun in a long time," Alex said to Cas the next day. She was driving the Audi to their next case in Boston. "Monsters and demons are cooler than your own sister. Gee, thanks," Cas said looking at their map. "You know what I mean," said Alex.

"Yeah, I know. Must be nice talking with your boyfriend each night," Cas sighed, still studying the map. "What?" Alex asked quickly. "He's not my boyfriend! Cas, he's my freaking guardian angel! We're supposed to be close. He's..he's just a close friend. Just because you've never had a serious relationship in your life." Cas laughed, "Don't make this about me."

But the damage was done and Alex just sat quietly, keeping her eyes on the road. Cas put the map away. "Sorry," she said with a sigh. Alex kept quiet. She always refused to talk to people when she got angry. But she wasn't angry. She was thinking about her angel.


	13. The Deal

Alex was sitting in the quiet hotel room searching for different ghost lores for her latest case. Cas had gone out to interrogate suspicious youngsters who might be linked to the apparition. All of a sudden, she heard the flap of wings behind her. She smiled and turned around quickly in her chair. "What's up Cas!" she asked happily, using a nickname that the angel hadn't heard since Cas Winchester came along.

But Alex's smile left her face immediately as she saw his face. There was no word to describe how sad he looked. "What's wrong?" she asked, slowly getting out of her chair. "I didn't know how to stop them," he answered with an even lower voice than usual. "Castiel, what's wrong?" she asked again. She was getting more and more scared by the second.

"It's your parents. They…" He paused. "Alex!" she heard someone yell outside. Then the door flew open. "Alex!" Cas still yelled, slamming the door behind her. She had tears coming down her face and her cell phone in her hand. "Mel just called me," she sobbed. "Mom and Dad. They…they've just d-d-..." she stuttered, not able to say the horrible news out loud.

Alex opened her mouth but no sound came out. She plopped back into her chair and held her head in her hands. She couldn't believe it. It seemed like they were immortal. All the things they had been through; all the wounds they had endured. How could they all of a sudden be gone? Both of them. She was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She expected to see her sister when she looked up. But instead she saw her angel.

He stepped into her mind and they both empathized with each other without words. Grieving together. Cas unintentionally interrupted them. "How?" Castiel suddenly snapped his link with Alex then cleared his throat. "They had a run in with a deadly enemy called the Vashta Nerada." The sisters' eyes widened. Even they knew what the Vashta Nerada were. One of the Doctor's old enemies that even helped lead to the death of his own wife. They never knew that the evil race would affect their lives so much. "What are we going to do?" Cas asked. "What do you mean?" the angel said. "Well," Alex sniffed, as she was holding back even more tears, "let's get back to the house and we'll just...figure something..."

"You don't need to go back to the house." Out of nowhere, a man with short brown hair, grey eyes, and a plain white shirt appeared. The sisters' eyes widened. They felt it. An angel's presence. But not just any angel, such as Castiel. It felt even stronger.

"Ariel," Castiel said, not taking his eyes off of the other angel in the room. "Castiel. Alex. Cas," the angel looked at each of them. "Another one of your angel friends?" Cas asked. "This is Ariel...the fourth archangel."

Alex stood up from the chair and backed away a little. She didn't know why but she felt extremely uncomfortable around him. "I'm sorry, I thought you said fourth archangel," Cas said. "He did," said Ariel, "and I'm quite surprised Cas. Being the sister of an angel expert and you've never heard of me." Ariel shook his head in disappointment. "But you've heard of me," he pointed at Alex, "haven't you?"

"What do you want?" Castiel interrupted, walking over to Alex. Ariel just smuggly smiled, then looked at the sisters. "Would you like to have your parents back?" Castiel looked even more alert. "Leave," he said furiously. "Wait, we should listen to what he has to say," said Cas.

"Shut up!" Alex said to her sister, then looked at Castiel. "If he brought Dad back before then he can do it again...and Mom. Right?" Castiel gave a hesitant nod. Ariel just laughed. "No he won't. I won't let him." The sisters wore confused looks but Castiel knew that the archangel had the power to stop him. "Now," Ariel continued, "I can bring your folks back..." "Why would you randomly come down here and help us?" Cas interrupted.

"Let...me...finish," Ariel said, scaring her a little with his deep voice. "I'll bring them back if you give me what I want." Everybody waited for him to continue. But he didn't. "Well?" he asked. "Well what?" Cas sassed back. "Do we have a deal?"

"What? What deal? Alex, Castiel, do you know what he's talking about?" Cas asked angrily. But not even her sister's angel knew. "Oh, come on. Don't play dumb with..." But Ariel stopped as he saw literal confusion in their faces.

He then chuckled to himself which made the others uneasy. "It hasn't happened yet." Alex's heart started beating extremely fast. She didn't know what hadn't happened yet, but she had a bad feeling about it. "Alex," Ariel took a few steps closer to her. But before he could come any closer Castiel stepped in front of her.

Ariel looked surprised and strangely, a little offended. "The things we do for love," he said as he walked around the room. The guardian angel blushed a deep red but still stayed in front of Alex. "Well, I'll bring Amy and Dean Winchester back if you give me a child." Cas got even angrier. "What? Do you just want some random child?" Ariel laughed once again.

"In about..." Ariel looked at the watch he was wearing, "two months. You," he pointed at Alex, "will be carrying a disgusting, half-breed baby." Her eyes widened. Castiel tilted his head then looked down at Alex with his sad blue eyes. "I don't understand," he said.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Ariel crossed his arms. "She'll be carrying your child, you idiot." The angel looked down at Alex again and felt his legs become weak. The oldest Winchester sister instinctively put a hand to her stomach.

"I...um...h-how?" Castiel's voice was shaky. Ariel looked like the happiest thing on the planet. "How? Oh, Castiel I think even you know. You and her making "divine love" as you might put it. Why must you always make things more difficult than they are?"

The room became deadly quiet. After a minute or two Ariel cleared his throat, "So, do we have a deal?" Alex angrily looked at him. "Why the hell do you want our child?" Ariel rolled his eyes. "Half-breeds are one of the most disgusting, most disgraceful, most looked down upon things in all of creation. I can't stand to have one tainting the earth."

Castiel ran up to the archangel, but before he could do anything Ariel raised his hand and threw him against the wall. "Don't be foolish. You know not to mess with an archangel." "Let him go!" Alex got up and foolishly tried to punch the archangel.

Ariel flung her against the opposite wall. Cas was frozen with fear, unable to comprehend what was going on. "Don't try anything," Ariel narrowed his eyes at her. "Now," Ariel put his hands behind his back, "if we can't all play nicely, people will get hurt."

"Hey, Disney princess," Alex called from the floor, where she was lying hurt. Ariel looked at her furiously. "Stop being a dick and leave." Castiel shook his head, knowing that she definitely shouldn't have said that to a bad-tempered angel. What made things worse was that he was still pinned against the wall.

All of a sudden, a voice came from behind Ariel. "I wouldn't mess with her if I were you." A voice with a British accent. Castiel's eyes widened. "Crowley?"


	14. Another Way Out

"Hello girls...and Castiel," Crowley said in his roughly smooth voice. "Crowley," Ariel said angrily. The King of Hell gave a small laugh. "Well, now that we've established who I am, let's talk business." Ariel was tired of things getting in the way as he tried to close this deal. "Business my ass," the angel said and snapped his fingers, expecting Crowley to vanish. But he couldn't do it. He snapped again. Nothing.

He wore a confused look as Crowley chuckled. "Oh, this is too good. Come on Ariel, I'm the King of Hell. You may be stronger than Trenchcoat over there," he gestured towards Castiel, "but you're not as strong as your true brothers. _Our_ powers are matched. Now I suggest you hear me out or things could get ugly."

Ariel narrowed his eyes then backed down. Crowley snapped his fingers and Castiel finally fell off of the wall he was pinned to for the longest time. "Give us a moment," Crowley winked at Ariel.

Crowley motioned for the Winchesters and Castiel to come to him. They formed a small huddle and talked in hushed tones. "Hello girls," he said again, "I don't think we've officially met, but I'm sure you've heard my name a few times." "We have," the girls said in unison. Alex definitely knew about him. Castiel mentioned him in many stories he had told her.

"Well then I'm sure you know that I can help you out of this mess," he said slyly. "You mean a deal?" Cas asked. "You see right through me," Crowley said sarcastically. "So," he continued, "here's the proposition, I bring your folks back and you can still bring a wonderful little half-breed into this world."

Everybody was waiting for a catch, but Crowley just looked at them awaiting their answer. "And?" Alex asked. "That's it." "There's more, he knows how to sell," Castiel said. "Thank you," Crowley said giving a small smile.

"Okay, you've had your little chat," Ariel said. Crowley rolled his eyes and said "Fine." The strange little huddle broke up. The room became quiet for a split second before Alex said, "We just...won't have a child. So you can both leave and take your crappy deals with you."

"Oh Alex," Ariel said, "you seriously think you're not going to carry an angel spawn? It WILL happen one way or another. I've foreseen it. So don't think you can weasel your way out. Now I don't know what Crowley said to you but I know for a fact that it was a deal. I assure you, mine is better. You can't trust him," said Ariel.

Castiel and Alex looked at each other knowing that they couldn't avoid this. The angels would take their baby either way. "Crowley," Alex said uneasily, "I...I'll take your offer." The demon smiled and pulled out a contract ready for signing. "Always come prepared," he said.

"I don't feel comfortable with this, Alex," Castiel whispered into her ear. "I can hide you, I can hide the baby, they won't be able to find us." Alex whispered back, "I don't want to spend my life running, Castiel." She slowly walked towards Crowley and took the contract out of his hand. She unrolled it to reveal a surprisingly long deal.


End file.
